Angela Lenz - the owner of Tails A Wagging - is truly a dog whisperer. I've never met anyone that understands the language of dogs better than she does. She generously shares her knowledge, and helps every dog owner she encounters, whether they are clients, customers, or just someone who has a dog and needs some help and could benefit from everything she knows. Our dog has taken more than 10 classes and every trainer Angela hires shares her outlook on positive reinforcement and the joy that training and bonding brings to both the dog and their human. Tails A Wagging is a safe place for dogs, and the humans that love them. Highly Recommend. All the Paws Up! read more

My dog finally had her private session a couple weeks ago. The trainer was friendly and came armed with bucketfuls of fancy treats. The dog reacted positively to the non-stop treat-fest. Unfortunately, she vomited every last crumb a few hours after the trainer left. I got the impression that the trainer was mostly sharing "this is what I do with my dog," instead of coming from a place of knowledge. read more

Tail's a waggin' is the best! After several people recommended their daycare to us we've been taking our rescue pup here for several weeks and the level of care is top notch. The owner is so knowledgeable about dog behavior, and gave us some very helpful tips after our dogs first visit. Our dog has made great progress in terms of his confidence and absolutely loves going here. And it's fun to be able to watch the live stream while he's there to see how he's interacting with other dogs. The hiring is commendable, every one who we've come in contact with there clearly LOVES dogs and treats them incredibly well. I highly recommend! read more

We had a very similar and disappointing experience as many of the reviewers. The owner kicked out our 6 month old puppy on his third day with no warning and for a strange reason. She said his behavior was "inappropriate" because he "has a complete tantrum" when other dogs won't engage with him. He's...a normal puppy. He likes to play. As do the other dogs, but there was no room made for discussion; he was simply no longer welcome and no effort was given to make accommodations or to try to mediate the situation. Their "trainer" that morning had acted oddly while engaging with our pup; he would stand with his hands on his hips and act very dominant with our dog to get him to sit, but when he did he would not mark and treat him. Instead, he would treat other dogs who were running around and not responding to cues. Our dog barely ate as a result, as a large part of his diet is through treats as he is training. Then, for seemingly no reason at all, we watched him on their online cameras as he picked my dog up and carried him out of the room, never to return to the group. I emailed the owner to ask where my dog disappeared to for over 5 hours (I was never told) and she responded via their app to tell me he was too hyper and he was no longer welcome. This place does not engage in training as they purport. They let the dogs run free in groups that are much too large with only one human. These humans seem to spend most of the day disengaged playing on cell phones or with the tablets in each room. I agree with other reviewers that the owner is unwilling, despite loads of feedback, to be kind to owners who are doing their absolute best. Our dog did nothing wrong but her phrasing and approach to removing him made us feel attacked, which I suspect is her intent. I do not recommend this facility for any dog who needs meaningful engagement, nor would I recommend it for humans who expect the same positive reinforcement as their pets. read more

My dog, Locket, is so excited every time we drive up to the facility that she and can barely contain her enthusiasm to go in and see her friends--both human and canine. As we were driving away today, I told my husband, "I am so happy we have such a great resource so close by." and it's not just that she loves school, but the trainers have helped me address her leash reactivity with compassion and skill. Locket continues to improve on her leash. Just the other day, three different dogs barked and lunged at her on our neighborhood walk and when I said, "Leave it" she looked at me and trotted right alongside me for more treats without looking back at them. I consider this a big win. I know that her ongoing time with lots of dogs at Tails has her better socialized, the enrichment games have her more focused, and my work with her at home has her listening more to me and more ready to pay attention to me than she used to be. And, due to all of these contributing factors, my own anxiety is diminished when we walk, which clearly translates to the other end of the leash, making her more confident and self-assured, since I am more relaxed and responsive. thanks again for all you do to make life better And for helping me help my dog live her best life. read more

I really wanted to like TAW. We had adopted our dog from the humane society and part of adoption requirements were to do puppy classes, which is totally fair! They recommended and gave discounts to use TAW. The trainer, was great. He did a really good job helping us learn simple and important manners for our fur baby. So, we decided to sign him up for doggy day care. The first time he went, we got a report card... telling us all the negative things he was doing. He's a puppy, it was to be expected. So, we took it as a chance to learn new things. But, this became a daily thing. We were informed we needed to expose him to Other social exercises. So, I brought him to the dog park to meet new friends... and then was told my dog was learning "dog park behavior" and it wouldn't be allowed at TAW. Uhh? Okay. He went to daycare 3 days a week, they had ridiculous expectations for a puppy to not be excited when coming to a place he was going to play and have fun. I understand they have ways they like things to go, but sending an email every day telling you what your dog did wrong, and it being as simple as barking at another dog when they're in a pen.. or in a kennel. Is ridiculous. They would also demand he had lunch daily, and then would water it down.. and he wouldn't eat it. So, we got to throw it away everyday. When I asked for tips, I got treated like I was an idiot. So, we left.. we have been at Puget Hound since, and they are amazing. read more

They are a good facility and the staff are very good. We had our dog at the daycare for over 12 years and he loved it there. The down side is their inflexibility to take care of a dogs special needs. Our dog got a knee injury at their facility that required surgery and rehab. They weren't willing to watch him during the rehab so we had to find another facility. Very disappointing for a customer of 12 years. Fortunately we found another great daycare where we board our dog and they took care of us for the last year of his life. read more

Tails-A-Wagging - Oliver - Pet Sitting Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I don't think I've done a bad review yet so congratulations to Angi for inspiring me: Talked to Angi the owner yesterday... it was THE WORST conversation I have had with someone for months if not years. I could not believe the immaturity, lash fullness, and inability to listen that Angi was displaying (as I read these reviews I can see I should've been ready). She consistently talked down to me, would wave her "29years of experience" around like it was the only thing that mattered, and consistently interrupted me to the point I had to ask her to stop. She seemed very annoyed with that request and I see now it's because it's a reoccurring behavior she has had problems with. (Hey little advice Angi, work on it, you need a base knowledge of human understanding and I can help you with that if you're open to it). She kept telling me i "wasn't in the right headspace yet," I'm "defensive," "need base knowledge of dogs" it's like damn, In our first conversation?? I didn't even tell you what my dog has been doing yet! You haven't even seen me and my girl together nor have you listened. Criticize later, with real understanding. Angi if you could listen before you talk, you'd have our business. Well maybe, you'd need to be less arrogant and condescending too. Hope they treat dogs better than they do people. Good luck to all y'all pet owners out there! (And for the record we were going here cause my roommates dog is correcting my dog for typical puppy behavior, to the point that she was bleeding) read more

The staff at Tails a Wagging has been so amazingly helpful and generous with me. From soothing my anxiety the first day I dropped him off (I was crying in the car! and Kate came out to help me decide if he was ready to be there.) to the ways they have gone above and beyond to help me and my dog learn, succeed and integrate. They have sent tons of information on training and given me personal phone calls and meetings. My dog got rejected from another daycare because he needed too much attention. Tails works with him. And, I have seen huge improvements in his training since he has been thing. I love using the webcams so I can actually learn and watch how they are interacting with the dogs. When my pup had a scuffle with another dog - they called right away, cleaned up his minor little scratch, gave me a full account of what happened and everything they were doing to support my dog to be a good pack member - AND! they met with me and him one-on-one within 2 days to talk about how to help me with his social skills. I can not exclaim enough how well cared for I feel as a client there. I genuinely feel like the staff is invested in my dog's success and willing to offer so much more than just a daycare. I am on a tight budget and this is the best investment I have made in my pup's well-being. I will admit that the split between the online app for scheduling, the website for registering for classes/privates felt really cumbersome to me and I felt overwhelmed. But, it was a breeze once I figured it out and the staff was patient with me. I have read some comments on here saying that the owner was interrupting and condescending, and I had the opposite experience. When I talked with other trainers, I felt like I was getting fed the same info over and over about what to do to help my dog, everything I could read in books or google on my own. but not any help answering the nuanced and specific questions I had. When I met with Angela - I felt like I learned so much so fast. Since she had watched my dog in the daycare she could answer my questions very specific to his personality. Which was so helpful to me. Yes - she was spitting out lots of information. (but, I am a fast processor and I love it. It didn't feel condescending to me. to me, I felt like I was in the presence of a master of her craft who is passionate about helping dogs and is so full full full of knowledge that she wanted to maximize the time we had so she could say what she needed to say. And, I appreciated that she cut me off when I would start rambling about things that were "off-topic" so she could focus on giving me the info I needed in a short time. I will say ... I am the kind of person who researches everything and has unrelentingly high standards. I don't ever bother to write reviews for anything. But, I am very opinionated. And, I rarely have mostly good things to say. And, I am the type to be suspicious of reviews that don't include some constructive feedback or criticism. So, I will mention the things that were hard for me: 1) the online scheduling. waiting for confirmations. screwing it up. I am old school. And, the clunkiness of jumping between website and online scheduler. 2) handing my dog off to someone who hadn't even introduced themselves to me yet the first day. (new dog owner anxiety) 3) I feel the pressure of their higher expectations/standards and that made me nervous the first few visits: what if my dog doesn't behave well enough, what if he won't sit at the door. (what I found is that they help me and support me and aren't critical of me or him at all. They do ask me to show up for my dog.) 4) The strict drop-off by 9:00 hours. I am not a morning person and have some health issues that make mornings challenging for me. so this was a big stretch and why I didn't originally choose tails as my first choice. I think its totally worth the inconvenience now. read more

We recently adopted a dog and agreed to take him to a training class...Tails A Waggin was suggested so we gave them a try. Overall an amazing experience! Lauren was our trainer, she was easy to schedule with (she has an online calendar which makes signing up convenient). The class is affordable, great. For our first training visit she greeted us with plenty of dog treats and professionalism. They have a cool training room upstairs. It's a large room, plenty of moving space and tons of training equipment and cleanup stuff in case you or dog has an accident. She listens to your dog's habits and your personal concerns and then tailors a class to help you out. Perfect. She gave us great advice and training homework, our relationship with our dog has improved immediately because of her input. Thank you again! read more

I went to this place with high expectations however the owner was very condescending in her communication basically accusing me of not doing what I should be doing with my dogs. She would cut me off and constantly talked down to me. I prepaid and then right after they told me my dog could not come back because he refused to go into a crate. I tried but my dog was ok with a pen but not a crate. When I asked for my money back they told me sorry they do not refund prepays. Buyer beware. read more

I went to one of the free seminars to learn about dog behavior. There were some good and some ridiculous things covered. When I went to Angi, the trainer/owner, to ask questions about her methods, she cut me off and talked down to me like I was an idiot. I am not a dog expert per say, but I am a dog groomer and I am constantly taking any opportunity to learn more about dog behavior to help me work with all types of dog personalities. I didn't appreciate her " I know everything " and my way is the only right way" attitude. I certainly didn't appreciate being talked to as I I'm an idiot with no knowledge of dog behavior. I've worked with and learned about dogs for many years as a groomer. She needs to come down from her high horse and learn about human behavior. read more

Not what I was expecting from what I was told the class would be when I signed up and paid for it. If you want your puppy to have 50 minutes of play time and maybe 10 minutes of instruction then the class is for you. If you want any kind of obedience training, go somewhere else. ....And your certificate of completion comes in an email so you can print it out yourself and write in your own dogs name! read more

I really have nothing bad to say about Tails A Wagging. I thoroughly read the review below by the unhappy person and have to say I've not had the same experience at all, and we've been with Tails for 5 months now. I've found them to be very responsive to phonecalls/emails. I've never been rushed or ignored. Angi (the owner) has been nothing but kind, helpful and is full of great information. She has never talked down to me, and instead, has more than gone out of her way to help me. She is incredibly good at what she does. I've never heard her mistreat, talk down to, or berate a fellow classmate. Michael teaches the classes we've been going to and is also very skilled at what he does. He knows dogs and I'm constantly surprised at how easily he gets and holds a dog's attention. Both Angi and Michael say the same thing almost every time we go to class or have a discussion: CALL OR EMAIL ME if you need help or are having problems. I really appreciate their free puppy socialization classes. We learned so much about our dog and it set the tone for starting out right. I encourage anyone with a new puppy to get the dog into the classes ASAP. And they're free, so you've got nothing to lose. We have since moved on to obedience class and I have to say that just about anyone who takes their dog to class, does the homework and practices, will have a wonderful pet in the end. These people know and understand dogs. I would recommend them to anyone, and in fact we started at Tails after 2 different neighbors saw our new puppy and the first thing they told us was - call Tails A Wagging. I'm so glad we did. read more

I called for information and was playing phone tag for a couple days which really wasn't an issue but the female that answered the phone was rude and condescending. Instead of listening to my needs she over spoke and reprimanded me for not listening to my voice mail. Seriously? I'm not a child and don't appreciate the attitude. I will not send my dog there nor will I recommend them to my friends. Hope they treat animals better than they do people. read more

We have been taking our mini australian shepherd, Gypsy, to Tails-a-Wagging for a little over two months. She was extremely shy and pretty fearful of other dogs when she first started puppy kindergarten but with the help of Angi, Chelsea, Michael, and Lizzie (to name a few -there are many more helping when she's at daycare whom I have not personally met!) our little fluffnstuff has come out of her shell! Gypsy just graduated from puppy kindergarten and is enrolled in puppy prep -which we are getting very excited for. She also goes to daycare one day a week and has attended several doggy socials. I think one of the most important reasons why you should train your puppy (or dog) with TAW as opposed to just at home is that you and your puppy will learn to respond to each other in an environment where there are other dogs and people serving as distractions, all while being safe with trainers and other responsible dog owners. It's definitely a secure environment that mimics the "real world" more so than your backyard or living room. Also, addressing the waitlist: It is totally worth the wait. Prior to Gypsy's first visit to daycare, I just periodically checked the TAW Facebook page and when they posted there was an opening I called and got her in. Now she can go whenever -Angi is great about getting us in. And the staff have never treated my husband, dog, or I with anything but the upmost respect. PS I love the webcams. It's nice being able to check on your pup from the office and see that s/he is being treated well and having fun with her/his classmates! read more

I tried to get into this doggie day care but man was that impossible. They're super strict for no apparent reason, didn't get back to me until the night before at 4:50 to say we couldn't bring in a dog because they missed that she wasn't fixed yet at 15 months when our vet told us to wait for her to turn 2 before doing that for their health. I can understand that, but waiting until 10 minutes before they close when I was going the next morning at what turned out to be 7 so she could get used to the place; Puget Hound here I come! They were terrific, had her in the next day and friction free. Plus a really great place! read more

I love Tails A Wagging. It started with their free puppy socialization class. I had heard mixed reviews and wasn't planning to continue education for my dog here but I just loved it! So clean and professional but also always willing to take the time to address my concerns and questions. My dog is currently in the kindergarten class and also attends puppy daycare twice a week. I love that on the days I'm busy they continue her training while at daycare. She comes home exhausted and better trained then when I dropped her off. I highly recommend them. read more

This place will be good for some, and not so good for others. I fell into the latter category. The management style is a bit too OCD for me. Every time we picked up our dog we would get a on 20-minute lecture about his behavior and what we needed to do to improve it. All this while in front of other dog parents. The whole scene was a bit demeaning and a little too uptight. read more

I found the customer service to be 100% MISS. Trail Dogs is the far better solution - they pick-up your dog and take them on a group hike. Door to door service from 9:30am - 2pm and your is outside all day. First we were interrogated about our puppy who didn't sit 50 of 50 times when asked. Second, we were able to watch our beloved dog on the TV where he literally just sat in a small room with other dogs for the whole day. The reason for the one star review is that Angi, the owner, unexpectedly kicked out dog out of daycare the week my wife was hospitalized for pre-term labor. In the midst of a family crisis, we were let down. Angi's rationale was that it was our dog's 6 month birthday and therefore he couldn't be unnuetered in doggie daycare. That was 4 months ago and our dog has not yet had any issues with other dogs and has been in multiple group hike services. read more

We take our dog to Tails once per week for socializing and we believe she loves it, if her excitement when we ask "do you want to play with puppies?" is a fair indication! She comes home tired and ready for a nap. We have had any number of helpful tips from Angi and her staff, either because of behaviors they have noticed, or more often, because we have asked. Angi is an enthusiastic supporter of all things dog, providing behavior assessments and socialization to pups from the Humane Society, and occasionally hosting visiting pets up for adoption. We have not found her condescending nor have we felt berated...rather, she is an experienced dog trainer persistent in her passion to see all dogs well trained and understood. Our dog has been a Tails dog for two years. read more

Our dog, Nyima, has been going to Tails doggie daycare for over 2 years now. It's been the best thing for him. Nyima is a high-strung dog who gets anxious easily. Tails has offered a safe and welcoming place for him to work on socialization with other dogs and has become very much a second family for him. Nyima also went through all the puppy training classes that Angi and her team have taught through the years. These guys deeply care about their clients' dogs like their own. I *love* the OCD management style - it's what keeps the place safe and healthy (for example, no coughing dogs allowed, keep track of everyone's vaccine records etc.). I highly recommend this place! read more

Tails A Wagging is a totally professional and supportive place for dogs and their own owners. We've used the daycare and training. They understand dogs and I appreciate the occasional gentle push to keep up our training. Our puppy loves being there and is happy and exhausted when we pick him up. read more

Angie and her staff are over the top helpful at training you and your dog! I have taken 4 different classes at Tails and could be more happy with the results. Angie is more than happy to take the time required to answer any questions you might have regarding training for you and your dog! Even if your not taking a class she will make time to help you and you dog! My dog and I would be a wreck if we didn't find Tails A Waggin... Thank you Angie and staff... read more

Tails A Wagging, Bellingham, is perfect!! They love snd care for my 1.5 year old miniature Australian Labradoodle. She Loves to go. She loves the pack leaders, the staff and all of her 4-legged friends. Tails a Wagging has seen 3 generations of my dog family and they just get better..if that is even possible. So organized, CLEAN and full of expertise and love. They are the best!!! read more

We love our new rescued Carly Girl, but we had been not so loving the demand barking and the reactive jumping, pulling, and turning while on walks. She seemed scared of almost everything and everyone unless she was in our home in our laps. If you can relate at all to this, please read on. Not knowing what to do, we knew this called for professional help. We first did an In Home Evaluation with Chelsea, who was most helpful and encouraging. That told that Tails is well-qualified for working with Carly and us for socializing and training. We began working on practices given us by Chelsea at home and enrolled her in Doggie Day Care. At first, even this was too hard for her. She could not even walk to and through the front door of Tails without a huge display of the crazies. thanks to owner Angi's determination to have it work for Carly, Carly can now not only arrive politely, but be in DDC and Love playing with her furry friends and learning good manners from the trainers. This would not have been possible had it not been for Angi being willing to think outside the box and see Carly as a little Rock Star instead of terrier terrorist and develop a plan that worked for all concerned. Now she comes home from DDC a happy and well exercised doggie. Soon she will be able to be in her first class and begin basic training. We are so pleased. She is learning, and so are we. Thank you so very much to Angi and her great staff for being Doggie Gurus. And thank you so much to Carly's four-legged classmates who have assisted their trainers in teaching Carly to play fairly and listen to and look at the teacher always. You are all loved and appreciated by us. Dee, Ben, and Carly Andrews read more

I received a call from Angie telling me I could not bring my puppy to class because his first distemper vaccination was administered by the breeder. She told me they do not accept vaccinations not administered by a veterinarian and therefore he was ineligible. Northshore Veterinary hospital accepted the record and set us up for the standard booster in 3 weeks because the records came with the dated stickers and wrapper from the original vaccine. The vaccination record is sufficient for the vet, but not good enough for Tails-A-Wagging. I'm not going to over medicate my dog. Seems this could be mitigated by establishing a relationship with local reputable dog breeders in addition to your existing relationship with the humane society. Lost a customer here before I even opened my wallet. read more

Michael The Dog Guy at TAW is amazing. He's thoughtful and really knows what he's talking about when it comes to how to understand and train your dog. I highly recommend TAW for daycare, training, and especially Michael. read more

The Tails-A-Wagging team is amazing! We have an incredible dog today thanks to all the dedicated daycare and puppy training our dog received. read more

I tried another doggy day care, now out of business, and found my way to Tails four years ago. Best thing I ever did for my dogs! I love the trainers and have learned so much over the years. They worked exceedingly hard with my reactive dog and have never given up on him. Angi takes the training of her staff seriously and I recommend them to everyone I know. read more

I completely agree with David M and couldn't have said it better. While humans do need training and "to take a look in the mirror", why do they not deserve the same positive rewards based training that the dogs get? We were so hurt by Angi's words and actions that we went to another daycare, consulted with their certified trainer, who was able to explain our dog's personality type and give us tools suitable for him. Guess what, it worked. He is a happy, well-adjusted and well-mannered dog and not thanks to Tails. There are far better places to go in Bellingham and Whatcom/Skagit county - don't waste your time here. read more

There are a lot of good things about Tails-A-Wagging. They have a large day care facility and offer a wide variety of training classes plus Sunday "doggie socials", all of which are quite helpful for socializing and training your dog. However, the negatives outweigh the positives for me and for an increasingly large number of former patrons who have left for more friendly pastures. They emphasize that "All of our teaching methods are based on positive reinforcement". Unfortunately, that statement applies only to the dogs, not the humans (and teaching the humans is really more important that teaching the dogs). The owner of this place is really full of herself. She, and one or two of her senior staff, tend to treat their human customers like ten year old children, even if they are old enough to be their parents. If she doesn't like you (or your dog) she will constantly talk down to you. Berating a customer in front of other customers is the height of unprofessionalism, and she did this several times to me and my wife. She will also berate her competitors. The rules for acceptable dog behavior are also rather unrealistic. Basically, to be acceptable for doggie day care, your dog better not have too much energy, be a little immature or have special needs. If your dog happens to be a herder you better hope they don't do any herding. That's against the rules. Tell that to a shepherd! They seem to want dogs that are easy to care for. That's understandable, because most of the staff that runs day care are uncertified and very young and inexperienced. Back to the positives, their classes are in general very good; however, all of the classes we have attended were taught by contractors who teach all over the area and are not part of the actual staff of Tails-A-Wagging. We now go to another place, where the daycare is handled by adults. Our current place loves our dog and treats us with great respect. I'll never set foot on Tails-A-Wagging again. read more

This is absolutely the best place for dogs! The owners know everything there is to know about dog's behavior and training. Both my dogs go everyday and they are happy and well-adjusted because of the excellent care they get. They get to play and learn in a structured, healthy environment and they clearly love going there as I can't get them out of the car fast enough in the morning. And I am grateful for the time and effort they've given to helping me be a good owner, too. read more

Fantastic organization! They are very willing to help and have great customer service. They help educate owners and help you understand how to communicate with your dog. Wonderful environment - you and your dog will be so happy there! read more

Yes, TAW has some good employees and has an overall clean facility, but I do think the customer service is either HIT or MISS. Very inconsistent. I felt very judged by one of the employees that worked there (not Angi). The staff and I spoke over the phone regarding bringing my puppy to their kindergarten class and she was not excited. She scolded me for having adopted a dog that was not at least 10 weeks. I called to gain advice and she specifically told me that "if it was really in the best interest of the dog, the puppy should have stayed with his mother until then." I was obviously calling to help our new dog. She then asked me why I wanted to adopt a dog so young....if the dog looked unhealthy...and so on. She didn't leave much room for me to comment or ask more questions. At the end of the conversation, I told her that I was really looking forward to signing our dog up for some classes and she didn't say anything except, "Make sure you read our pamphlet online." She didn't acknowledge my efforts to help our dog. No "thanks for calling" or "you're welcome" or "give us a call back if you have any more questions." I don't need affirmation but I also do not feel the need to be judged within our first conversation. Overall, that TAW employee/experience was unwelcoming and exuded judgement. read more